Law enforcement and crime fighting often involve armed conflict within close quarters of a house, apartment complex, warehouse or other building where the line of sight is often less than tens of feet and the potential for multiple opponents to attack from a concealed position may be high.
Police also may confront felons incident to riots and other violent crimes where a riot gun is used to discourage resistance and offer less-than-lethal stopping force for use by the police officer. The riot gun is often used as a less-lethal weapon and can be standard firearms, usually shotguns and grenade launchers, adapted to riot control use with appropriate ammunition.
More and more, military forces are required to engage an enemy in an urban environment where a long gun, a rifle or shotgun, is the weapon of choice facing possible multiple hostiles armed with guns and other hand-held weapons such as swords, knives, axes, or tools.
Present technology discloses means for attaching accessories to a rifle in a fixed position and orientation, such as facing forward along the barrel line of sight. Laser sights and scopes are the most common attachment. A handgun may be attached using such accessorizing technology, and if so attached would invariably require detaching it from the rifle before aiming and discharging at a target.